Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 11/26/2024 12:00 PM PST
Civics, Economics, Geography, History, & Skills for Public Life
Note: Resources are provided for informational purposes and not as recommendations from OSPI. Resources referenced here may be for educators or parents/families and may not be intended for use in the classroom. We recommend reviewing all educational materials for alignment with district policy and state law before using them with students. Articles and other resources are provided for informational purposes and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints or policies of OSPI.
As members of the community may be participating in one or more of these observances, we share resources to educate ourselves.
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
On August 23, 1994, the United States Congress designated December 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Every year, remembrance events are held at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, culminating in a commemoration ceremony on December 7.
Click here to learn more from the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
Chanukah / חֲנוּכָּה
Chanukah for Hebrew Year 5785 begins at sundown on and ends at nightfall on . Also known as the Festival of Lights, it is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Chanukah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
The week-long holiday of Kwanzaa held December 26–January 1 honors African American heritage. Karenga laid out seven key principles for Kwanzaa: unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Its name comes from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which translates to “first fruits.” Kwanzaa celebrations draw from African musical and storytelling traditions.
TVW & John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State Curriculum
In this 6 minute video, past and present members of the Office of Native Education discuss the origin of the curriculum, the instrumental role of Senator McCoy, the need to include more native voices into the curriculum, and the historic impact of including native language into Washington State law.
The John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State Curriculum has been endorsed by all 29 Federally Recognized tribes in Washington and advocates a collaborative approach between the school districts and the tribes. The curriculum uses three main approaches to teach tribal sovereignty: inquiry based with five essential questions, place based on the tribes in the school's community, and an integrated approach that ties in with already approved social studies units.
The Office of Native Education (ONE) at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction administers this curriculum, which was tribally developed and is free and readily available for all ages at their website.
Starting in January, civics teacher extraordinaire, Ms. Paulson, will be following the issues and explaining the nuances of the legislative process. These short engaging videos will showcase how the legislature works by talking about actual pieces of legislation making their way to the governor’s desk.
Sign up for the Teach With TVW Newsletter to get these bi-weekly updates along with bell ringer exercises to engage your students, and teach that they too have a voice in Washington state’s democratic process!
All of Teach With TVW's programs are FREE, and center on the power of engagement at the State and local level while easily meeting the WA C3 standards for middle and high school civics, history and politics.
The Bill of Rights Institute debuted new Elementary hands-on, classroom games It’s About Time and Trails Westat the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference in Boston. These games complement a new 3rd through 5th grade curriculum that runs from the Colonial Era through Reconstruction. All of the lessons, slide shows, and videos are downloadable for free by clicking here.
If you need support adding inquiry-based, content-area literacy instruction with your elementary school teachers, please reach out to Scott Petri, Manager, Program Partnerships at spetri@mybri.org.
The Washington Student Mock Election has concluded with astounding success! Over 557 classes in 25 counties reported their participation and were included on the Student Mock Election dashboard. You can see who all participated on the Secretary of State’s Elections website:
In addition, teachers invited Washington State Elections to present to over 100 classes across the state. Outreach coordinators helped with voter registration, talked about the importance of elections, and answered questions from students about why and how we conduct elections in our state. If you’d like to reach out to the Election Division about arranging a visit to your class, email electionsoutreach@sos.wa.gov.
Thank you to all of the teachers that helped make our Mock Election a major success, and for helping your students understand how important their participation in our democracy is.
Save the Date: America's 250th Anniversary in 2026
Plans are already underway for the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Washington State has established an official state committee to plan events and activities, and recently launched the official America250 WA website.
Visit America250WA.org to get the latest news and helpful resources to plan and participate in commemorative activities. We are asking organizations around the state (education, libraries, history, arts, cultural, government, Tribal, businesses, community, etc.) to join the America250 WA team and sign up as a partner to help us truly make this a statewide observance.
For more information about plans for the 250th in Washington, please contact info@america250wa.org.
America's Field Trip
Submissions due before 5 p.m. ET on April 16, 2025
America's Field Trip is back! Students in grades 3-12 are invited to participate in this year's contest by sharing their perspective about what America's means to them. Winners will receive an unforgettable field trip experience to one of our nation's most iconic, historic, or cultural sites. Written or original artwork answering the question "What does America mean to you" are now being accepted; the deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. (ET) on April 16, 2025.
The civic education travel grant program is created to provide travel grants to students participating in statewide, regional, or international civic education competitions or events. Applications for this grant are accepted from districts. As such, educator-level applicants will need to coordinate with their school district EGMS account-holder to submit their application.
The Washington State Civic Learning Council has created a scholarship program to provide financial grants and support to educators and students participating in high-quality civic education programs at the national, state, tribal and local government level.
Grants will generally be awarded between the range of $250 to $1000. Grants will be considered in excess of these amounts, contingent on availability of funds and strength of application. Eligibility is open for a wide array of personnel involved in education, including educators, leaders of after-school programs, parent-teacher associations, home school organizations, individual students, nonprofits, and community organizations.
For more information and a link to the application, click here.
Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Education Foundation Grant
The Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Education Foundation is an organization that provides grants for educators to teach anti-hate initiatives, respect, and kindness to students nationwide through Holocaust education. The grant allows educators to teach their students about the Holocaust – empowering them to learn how the lessons of the past can lead to kindness, respect, and inclusion in our society today. Each grant is capped at $1,000. The grant can be used to purchase educational materials, such as books for the classroom; help fund experiences, such as subsidizing the cost of transportation to a museum; help cover speaker fees for survivor speakers; or to bring programming into the school, such as traveling museum exhibits. The grant application portal is now open! Teachers who teach 4th to 12th grade are eligible to apply.
To be added to their list and be notified when the grant portal opens, please email ann@mshefoundation.org.
OSPI is excited to host a set of trainings and professional learning experiences to support Civic Education in Washington State. The goal of these offerings is to increase teacher's knowledge and skills to effectively engage students in civics education, and ensure students have a basic understanding of how governments work and know their rights and responsibilities to be prepared to exercise them. These trainings are free to attend and include clock hours. Our final offering for the fall is below:
Media Literacy in Secondary Social Studies Classrooms with Lesley James, OSPI Media Literacy. Monday Dec 3, 2024 from 4-5pm. Click here to register on pdEnroller
Future Voters Requirements and Resources with the Secretary of State Education Division. - Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 from 4-5pm. Click here to register on pdEnroller - Encore due to popular demand!
Take advantage of these engaging opportunities to learn more about the many ways to engage in civic education. If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Miller, the Associate Director of Social Studies at andrew.miller@k12.wa.us.
OSPI's Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship 2024-25 PD Course Open for Registration
Washington State K–12 educators in any role are invited to register for a free asynchronous course offered by OSPI. The course is a self-paced, Choose-Your-Own Adventure collection of modules on the Canvas platform. The six modules that are currently available include:
A required introductory module that introduces the definitions of Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship used throughout the course and unlocks access to the other modules
Modules that introduce suggested learning objectives and instructional resource collections to educators who are seeking a foundation in Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship, whether they’re new to the topic or looking to refresh their skills
Other modules are under construction and will provide opportunities for educators who have already begun their Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship journey to dive deeply into specific instructional resource collections. Participants in any module will have the option to join asynchronous discussions with other educators. Course work can be submitted at any time before March 31, 2025. Educators can earn up to 3 clock hours.
Register on pdEnroller. Questions? Contact OSPI Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship Program Supervisor Lesley James, lesley.james@k12.wa.us.
Harvard's Case Method Institute
All high school teachers in U.S. history, civics, and government classes are invited to participate in a special PD program offered by the Case Method Institute for Education & Democracy and Harvard Professor David Moss. The next session will be held on Friday, December 6, from 11am – 5pm ET. They will also have a session on Saturday, February 1st, from 11am – 5pm ET, if you prefer a weekend date. If a Zoom-based session is not convenient, they offer a self-paced online program that you can start whenever you’d like. If these options don’t work for you, join their mailing list to hear about future sessions.
The Institute has partnered with over 4,000 teachers to bring the Case Method--the pedagogy used nationwide at leading professional schools to strengthen critical thinking--to over 250,000 high school students across the U.S., along with original cases from Professor Moss's acclaimed Harvard course, "History of American Democracy." Each case presents students with a historically rich narrative, leading up to a key decision point and posing the perennial question: "What would you do?" Led by a teacher's use of carefully designed questions, students engage in rigorous, evidence-based discussion and debate to draw out key concepts from the case. Teachers have described the case method as a "game-changer," a "transformational experience," and a "laboratory for citizenship." Extensive data show significant benefits for students, including improved critical thinking skills and confidence with historical material, as well as increased civic interest and engagement. The Institute invites high school teachers to learn more in this flyer and to apply (to confirm eligibility) for either a live, Zoom-based workshop or our fully self-paced, asynchronous program at this link.
Now in its eighteenth session, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in collaboration with the Seattle University School of Law is offering teachers grade 5-12 a unique opportunity to learn about the U.S. Constitution, federal judiciary, and issues of civil rights, federal-state courts, and federal criminal law. The institute is highly interactive.
Teachers will attend actual proceedings, as well as be questioned in a simulated jury selection process. Judges who hear the cases you read about in the news will be faculty along with long-term law-related education expert Margaret Fisher to help translate this content into lessons immediately usable in the classroom.
Eligible applicants: Forty teachers grades 5-12 teaching in any of 19 western counties of Washington* who did not participate in a prior Judicial Institute.
Datesand times: Program starts at 8 a.m. on June 30 and ends on July 2 at 3 p.m. A group dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
Location: U.S. District Court, 700 Stewart St., 19th floor, Seattle, WA 98101.
Clock hours: 23 clock hours available from Seattle University School of Law at no cost to teachers.
Cost: No registration fee, breakfasts and lunches provided on June 1-July 2, group dinner provided on July 2, parking is provided, and hotel rooms at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seattle are provided for the nights of June 29, 30 and July 1, 2025. Change from past years: single occupancy rooms are available for all participants at no cost.
Applications are available on Google forms. (https://forms.gle/uCmWCTrXo3EwRHtv5)
Selection: Based on time of application and geographic diversity.
More information: Margaret Fisher, Seattle University School of Law, fisherm2@seattleu.edu or 206-501-7963.
All Washington educators are climate educators! Exploring climate literacy and climate change can happen in all classrooms. Climate is not exclusive to science-specific standards. All K–12 educators can integrate locally relevant, community-focused climate literacy to support the diverse learners in their classrooms.
Overview:
This professional learning opportunity is FREE for Washington Educators (including books and 15 Clock Hours available (9 Equity, 6 STEM)
There are whole group synchronous sessions and small group sessions scheduled by each group.
Each team will have the opportunity to choose from various books available for each book study term. 2024-2025 Book Options
Books are available on a first-come, first-served basis. OSPI will mail books to school locations of educator teams. Educators will be allowed to keep their books after the book study is concluded.
Click here to view the flyer and more information about how to register.
The guide aims to promote greater climate literacy by providing this educational and communication framework of principles and concepts. This guide is written with educators, communicators, and decision-makers in mind. It may be helpful in structuring curricula; assessing gains in people’s knowledge and understanding; stimulating dialogue among people with different interests, skills, and perspectives; and informing climate-related decisions and policies.
Learning Standards Review
Learning standards define what all students need to know and be able to do at each grade level. As required by state law (RCW 28A.655.070), OSPI develops the state’s learning standards and periodically revises them based on the student learning goals in RCW 28A.150.210. Click here to learn more about the process and click here for a timeline of review and implementation.
ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.
